Farewell Manhattan

Dear Manhattan,

I'm sitting here at the 8th Ave L stop waiting for it to leave for Brooklyn and it dawned on me...This is my last moment with you.  From that day we first flirted in Central Park five years ago to this last walk from Chelsea Market, I've fallen in love with you.  

You've taught me so much in these four years.  How to laugh, cry, love, work and dance a little harder.

• We bingo'd in Meat Packing on Sundays and worked our asses off in Chelsea on Mondays. 
• We blacked out with the bartenders of the LES and flirted with the mixologists of the East Village. 
• We screamed at sports in West Village and stared in shop windows in Soho at things we'd never afford.
• We spent rainy days with art in the UES and lovely brunches in UWS or met in the middle for a Sheeps Meadow respite. 
• We floated on boat bars in FiDi and sipped soup dumplings in Chinatown. 
• We even grabbed our passports and snuck off to warehouse parties in Williamsburg, St Pattys Day in Hoboken and ramen burger dinners in DUMBO.

You accepted me and all my weirdness and made me a New Yorker.

Your hallowed avenues and streets have kicked my ass a couple times but we've always made up and our relationship is the stronger for it.  You've introduced me to new friends who I will hold dear for the rest of my life and helped me realize many unreasonable pacts of reconnection with old ones.  I think all us transients would agree... You're pretty fucking awesome.

We'll be spending some time apart in the near future but I know it won't be forever.  You'll never fully wean me off of you...because you're the only place I've ever called "home."

Please look after my friends. Be their glue while I'm gone.  Make sure they take good care of each other and cherish every minute they have with each other and with you.

I see today that we are crying together. I can feel your teardrops on my umbrella.  But don't worry we will be together again someday. Promise.

Until then.

Weekly New York Post - 1.9.2012

This week's blog traverses the West Village, Meatpacking, SOHO and the LES.

LES

Motor City Bar
Welcome to a crazy LES good time! Although before you order twelve tequila shots make sure you have the cash to pay for them - that's right CASH. Don't forget! Worst case if you do there is an ATM next door. This bar comes chalk full of entertainment too. The below dancer is Labretta Suede and she not only has the moves but is also very nice! The bar gets nice and cozy on Saturday nights and stays open late. It's got that biker bar vibe, PBR, and tons of fun people! Hit. It. Up.


MEATPACKING

Catch
I'm pretty sure we went up to the Catch Rooftop bar which is more of a club late at night. That's what I posted the picture of but I can't really remember...The dance mix was pretty good but we got there so late that the crowd was petering out so I feel like I need to give it another chance. Kind of a pain to get in too but that's Meatpacking for you!

SOHO

Anchor Bar
I've been pestering my friend for the name of this place for months because that's how much I liked it. The interior has got an awesome look to it (just look at the chandelier!) and the dance floor is HOPPING. Whereas Catch felt like your average dance club, Anchor I was all about. Definitely headed back there now that I know the name!

Photo Credit: Anchor Bar Website

WEST VILLAGE

Automatic Slims
Okay so there wasn't anything hugely special to this place other than that it is walking distance from excellent restaurants like Extra Virgin, but then again isn't everything in the West Village walkable? The one thing that I do love about this place is that I gave the waitress a $3 tip for two Bud Lights and thanks to my accidental generosity she gave me free beers for the rest of the night. BOOM!

Photo Credit: Andy H. on Yelp.com

BLT
Stopped here for an evening meal on a Sunday. The place is pretty standard but the food was good. I got the Steakhouse burger which is a custom blend of 30-day dry-aged prime beef (Brisket, Shortribs, Sirloin) topped with caramelized onions and an order of sweet fries. Overall great burger, great fries, average service. I'd go back if there weren't a ton of other places worth trying first. But if you are in the area and looking for a good burger without the wait stop here.

Photo Credit: BLT Website

Fatty Crab
Just had this last night with an old coworker. I went to the Meatpacking location and the place was cool-looking, the waitress was super friendly and helpful and voila! they had a shellfish allergy menu for me. It was the coolest thing ever! We ordered the steamed buns that are soft and fluffy and you fill them with a juicy piece of pork, some spicy vegetables and what I think is plum sauce? SO good but definitely not for a first date - they stick like crazy to your teeth!

We also ordered the watermelon, pickle and crispy pork which comes out looking kind of like a salad. The juicy sweetness of the watermelon and the crispy savory pork might a mouthwatering bite!


Great restaurant! Oh and they have Hitachino Red Rice Ale which is one of my favorite beers. My only knock on the place is that when we arrived the place was mostly empty and the only two tables they would seat us at were RIGHT next to other people. I practically had to sit in the lap of the guy next to me which was totally unnecessary. Prepare to be friendly with your neighbors and try the shellfish since I can't!

Photo Credit: Fatty Crab Website

Fedora
A group of my friends have a running inside joke about the Honey Badger. For those of you who live in the Dark Ages watch this video. So we walk into Fedora's and low and behold the second menu item is... The Honey Badger. Made with Rittenhouse Rye, Combier, fresh lime, honey syrup and house beef jerky bitters because honey badger don't care. There was no way I was ordering it because it sounds disgusting but I did have a large beer which was tasty. The crowd is a little older so we eventually left but it made the blog due to menu ingenuity! Probably won't be back for drinks though - I hear dinner is good though!

Photo Credit: nycprgirls.com

Tartine
Last one on the list is Tartine which is a TINY restaurant that has multiple things I don't like..

1) It's cash only - WHAT A PAIN
2) It's BYOB - also a plus but not when you don't bring enough
3) It's tiny so you are sitting on top of people
4) It's an unorganized line to get a table and the waitress skipped us after we'd been waiting for at least 30 minutes.

Outside of the above which isn't that serious the food was good but not spectacular. I spent $45 not counting my wine which wasn't hugely expensive but still a lot for a small app and entree. I had the tuna tartare to start which was okay - I don't usually like my tuna to be that chopped up. The sauce on it was good though. Then for dinner I got the beef mignonette with fries and what I call a "fake" salad because it's really just lettuce with tomatoes on top. It was REALLY spicy so overall not a favorite. To sum it up for New York there are places I'd rather go.